Looking for Larry NEIL - Calhoun Oliver 5 Picker

This message is a reply to an archived post by Larry NEIL on July 09, 2012 at 09:35:09.
The original subject was "OLIVER? 5 picker".



Hi Larry NEIL, Saw your posted photos from 2012 of the Oliver Model 5/Calhoun corn picker while doing research for our book, "Corn Pickers: And the Inventors Who Dreamed Them Up." We hope will be able to complete the book in the next couple of weeks.

We would love to be able to include your pictures, with your permission, in the book. Did you ever pick with the corn picker? And if so, how did it do?

What we've found out about the Model 5 picker (Oliver's Corn Master) so far is that it was introduced in 1947 as Oliver's "new and improved" picker. It was built in Battle Creek, Michigan, until 1962, when the tooling was moved to Shelbyville, Illinois. It was built in both Oliver and Cockshutt colors until 1969. About that time, the tooling was purchased by Mr. Evan Alexander Calhoun, of Cedar Falls, Iowa. In the early 1940s, he patented a "Quick-Hitch Tractor Device" to save time during corn-picking time, and other items that he and his family produced in their factory there. His three sons worked with the company as draftsman, comptroller and engineer. In 1968, they were able to expand the factory by moving to Bethany, Missouri. The town made an attractive lease offer to locate them in its brand new industrial park. The Calhouns offered all their employees the chance to relocate with the company. Evan and his wife retired in March 1970 after selling the Calhoun Company to United Farm Tools, Inc., or UFT, which since then has gone out of business. (Artsway Mfg. of Armstrong, Iowa, bought UFT's shredders and some parts, and W. A. Mfg. in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, got some of the others.)

If you have additional pictures of this Calhoun picker, especially of the serial tag, we'd love to put them in the book, along with your experiences with the picker.

Any collectors with family pictures of and stories about corn pickers are invited to send them to us at [email protected]

If you'd like more information about the book, visit http://www.cornpickerbook.com/

CornPickerBob

Larry passed away a few years ago while snorkeling in Florida.

Donovan from Wisconsin

That was our very first post on Yesterday's Tractor -- and right after that, my wife started searching other parts of the forum, and to our shock, she found the Memorial posted by James Howell.

To all his family and friends, we are so sorry for the loss of this fellow collector.

CornPickerBob

I got to meet him and help him load a combine over the thanksgiving weekend the fall before he died. Was a very respectable man.

Donovan from Wisconsin

I got to meet him and help him load a combine over the thanksgiving weekend the fall before he died. Was a very respectable man.

Donovan from Wisconsin

I got to meet him and help him load a combine over the thanksgiving weekend the fall before he died. Was a very respectable man.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Bob,
The Oliver #5 picker was built until 1972 according to the serial number list.

Thank You, Geoff, for that information. That differs from what Sherry Schaefer and Jeff Hackett wrote in their book, "Classic Oliver Tractors," so we're glad to know the true cut-off date. Could we get your last name, to give you credit in the book, as we don't have access to the serial number list for Oliver pickers?

Thank you!

To clarify, the Model 5 was built until 1969 in both the Oliver and Cockshutt colors in Shelbyville. Production was then moved to South Bend, IN and it was only built in Oliver colors until 1972.